STATUS:
Two days ago, Noble Arms is indisputably four years old, spread out across three threads, and the third thread is still ongoing and about to reach the endgame...
8 days ago
Current
Two days ago, Noble Arms is indisputably four years old, spread out across three threads, and the third thread is still ongoing and about to reach the endgame...
3
likes
19 days ago
Can't believe that I actually got an RP close to its endgame, btw...
4
likes
1 mo ago
Noble Arms is now either four years old, or three years and eleven months. The third thread had lasted for more than one year.
1
like
2 mos ago
New Interest Check, everybody!
2 mos ago
My Roleplay, Noble Arms: The ASEAN War, will reach its 4th year in June or July. It's been a long journey.
Hello all, just dropping a post to introduce myself. I’m a fantasy and science fantasy lover so looking for roleplays along those lines. I’m also very partial to tabletop rpg gaming, specifically D&D, Pathfinder and Starfinder. I’m not sure how large or active the dice community is here but I’ll certainly be checking it out.
I have a Modern Military Fantasy RP, just in case you're interested:
Character Name: Laurence Collinsworth (Laurent Helreach)
Callsign: Deutragonist.
Sex/Gender: Male/Male.
Race & Species: Human (Half-Creel).
Age: 18.
Appearance:
Demeanour: He's happy with his life, happy with Sanctuary, and happy with his boyfriend, Urien Sanctus, whom he loves and respects dearly. Deep in his heart, Laurence suppresses the ambitious feelings common to all Creel or Creel-blooded, finding them a taint that reminds him of his mother, whom he hates and fears and who only carried him to term on a whim, seeking a pawn whom she can use to embed a dagger inside Sanctuary. He is ambivalent to his birth father as well, who smuggled him into Sanctuary, then realized that he can use 'Laurent' to claim the Imperial Throne, or at least foment civil war inside the nation that had enslaved him. For what it's worth, he sees Urien's parents as more worthy of love than his' own are, and hopes to call them in-laws one day.
Personal History: Even the Empress of the Creel had her whims and pleasures, and plenty of slaves to attend to her. Before she became Empress, she allowed herself to become pregnant by one of them, hoping to use the resulting child as her private weapon and assassin, to be trained as an agent against their enemies. The slave she used, however, found out about her plan and as revenge, escaped with the baby as soon as he was born and named, and more importantly, took a 'Claimant Box', one of the relics of the Imperial Family used to provide some order to challenges for the throne, with him. This slave managed to escape to Sanctuary, where he found asylum, but not a true home; that can wait for when the child grew up, his own dagger into the heart of the enemy's nation.
For the first few years, Laurent was raised by his father, who taught him how to read, write, do sums, and the basics of politeness and courtesy. But as the boy grew up, the father turned to drink and drugs and Sanctuary's child protective services stepped in as quick as lightning, putting him into foster care with the Sanctus Family. There, Laurent found love and affection and people to care about; Oswald and Elaine Sanctus and their son Urien, plus Urien's little sister, Beatrice/Betty. Urien, his light and love, and also the darkness that was benign, the night of sleep and security. He would protect them from anything; he vowed, and when Urien grew up and joined the military, he followed.
In the intervening time, he found out from his birth father that he was the son of the Empress of the Creel, and was given the 'Claimant Box' that had been stolen a long time before from the enemy's treasury. A long-suppressed fire began flickering inside him, kept from burning out of control only because of what could happen to Urien and his adopted home...
Special Skills:
Swordsmanship - Laurence/Laurent knows how to fight with a sword as a proper duelist would; this is important if he is to earn the respect of his future opponents, and hopefully, subjects.
Oratory - Laurence/Laurent is good at public speaking, at playing into an audience's feelings and thoughts, and changing that audience's crowd and mood to the direction he desires.
Pyroknesis (Minor) - Laurence/Laurent can light small fires, up to a campfire-sized blaze, with his thoughts and mind alone. Useful for survival out in the countryside.
Personal Weapons & Gear:
- The standard gear and the PADD. - A Red Macaw Keychain given to him by Urien's little sister, Beatrice. - A Civilian PADD containing video games, e-books, and other means of amusement; all potentially classified information is kept out. - The 'Claimant Box', is a small cube containing the Coat of Arms of the Helreach Family that only opens when fed with the blood of someone with their DNA. This box transmits a signal to the Imperial Capital, announcing not just the existence of the person who fed it with their blood and their genetic credentials, but also that they are claiming the Imperial Throne; a challenge that no member of the Imperial Family can deny. To use this box is an irrevocable step, not just for Laurence/Laurent, but for his allies.
Laurence/Laurent's Mech:
Mecha Name: SMW-019 Claw
Appearance:
Internal Weapon Systems: 2 x Head-mounted light machine-guns; mounted either side of the head for anti-personnel/anti-missile use.
Additional Systems/Equipment of note: High-speed winch mounted on lower torso. Overclock System for the Reactor. External speaker and microphone system
Other notable features/Traits: The red, orange, with a little green and gold paint scheme shown on the picture.
Rulers of the Southern Seas - Not your typical Isekai
I. Intro
It is a world shaped like ours, but with different people, and different nations, and where Magic and the Supernatural are facts of life.
In the year 1648 of the Human Era, three Great Powers and their allies stand off against each other and the eldritch force that is known as The Corruption. In the Sunlit Isles (equivalent to the Philippines in another universe), the Kingdom of La Reyna (not a misspelling of Reina) has just secured its independence peacefully from the Empire of Lalin - Zaragoza, on the condition that Empress Urraca III is kept listed as the Kingdom's Head of State. Uniting the courage and craftiness of its native population with the steel, sails, and gunpowder of the Lalinesne ex-colonizers, La Reyna looks to assert itself as the hegemon of the region and keeper of the peace in the high seas.
To its south is the various 'Pepper Islands' (equivalent to central Indonesia) held by the New Alhakestian Sea Company, a faction of merchants who pursue profit at any cost, even if it means making money from human misery. However, their wealth and ruthlessness give them access to guns and ships as good or even better than La Reyna's, and unlike La Reyna, they can recruit additional mercenaries from their home country of Alhakestia itself, as Alhakestia had defeated Lalin-Zaragoza in a war just three years before this tale started. Will La Reyna be able to accomplish what its mother country could not?
And finally, to the west, the Malikate of Bertambah and the Rajahnate of Rouranpura have allied with half a dozen other monarchies to form the League of Free Seas (Equivalent to Malaysia, Singapore, and West Indonesia), which aims to drive out the Alhakestians even as they are suspicious of the Mixed-blood people of La Reyna, who are both similar and different and thus raise uncomfortable questions of what counts as 'native'.
All the while, a mysterious disease has been infecting the local animals with tumors that drive them mad with pain as they transform into monstrous creatures that crave human flesh. This disease also infects plants, causing fungal growths that rot them inside and out, while there are reports that humans are starting to be affected, gaining stronger magical powers in exchange for their sanity.
For Roleplayer Guild Only:
You have been summoned to Maynilad, the Capital of La Reyna, to try and chase rumors of a lasting cure for Corruption.
[Work in Progress.]
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Okay, here's a summary. This is a Roleplay set in a fantasy version of Southeast Asia in the 1640s (Age of Exploration), which uses the IRL map of the region to save time and effort. Also, there is Magic (see below).
This setting is meant to be used for multiple purposes, but for Roleplayer Guild, it will be used for an Isekai Roleplay (yes, I know,). There will be a cast of five to six 'Main PCs', with a few players left in reserve or who are allowed to run plots of their own in other areas of the region whose actions will eventually affect the 'Main PCs' and their plot.
Many nations, locations, and worldbuilding elements (such as whether Magical Creatures exist) are left 'blank' for players (not the Isekai-ers' players unless they specifically request it) to fill in as long as they follow rough guidelines as regards to the culture and language of each sub-area (For example, the League of Free Seas uses Malaysian and Indonesian names and the Alhakestians use English, Dutch, and German; La Reyna uses Spanish and various Filipino Languages like Tagalog, Cebuano, and Ilocano).
Also, you can make up nations not listed beforehand, such as equivalents to France, Denmark, and [Insert Other Nation Here]; just ask me beforehand. That said, there are already China and Japan counterparts to the north, but whether they are united or divided is up to the players who tackle their lore first.
Now, for the Magic System...
II. Magic System
There are two disciplines of Magic, defined by human belief. However, in this universe, just because sapient beings' belief can make Magic work does not mean that Reality is relativistic; objective, observable reality still exists despite being changeable by Magic, which in turn has limits.
Traditionalist/Ceremonial - Traditionalists use words, rituals, and symbolic tools (aka items which are less practical than current tech; obsolete tools) in order to cast powerful spells that defy scientific understanding, like fireballs, instant healing, precognition, and blessings/curses. The advantage of this is that Traditionalists can use their magic right away, with just a word or gesture, they don't actually need the items they use, and they can do things without advanced technology or which are still impossible with current science. In short, what they lack in the reach and range of their effects, they more than makeup for by being their own tools in an emergency.
"Enlightened Invention" - Enlightened Inventors used to believe that their Magic isn't Magic at all but 'Natural Philosophy', and some of them still believe it today. But the truth is that their inventions, though recognizably technology, still use Mana, the reality-altering substance that allows Magic to exist in the first place. However, Magitech has one big advantage over Traditionalist/Ceremonial powers: Anyone can use it even if they are not an Enlightened Inventor and it can be combined with actual technology to create mass-produced wonders. However, the drawback is that without tools, objects, or anything resembling technology, an 'Enlightened Inventor' is useless.
In this specific RP, only the OCs/PCs can use both Traditionalist Magic and Enlightened Invention; either because they are transported from another universe entirely and thus have a different mindset and accumulated knowledge that allows them to juggle both forms of power, or they are natives, but are just that talented.
Mages (both Traditionalists and Enlightened) divide Reality into eight areas, six of which can be affected by Magic, and two of which cannot be accepted in very rare circumstances. The six 'Open Areas' are High, Underworld, Mind, World, Change, and Dimensional, while the two forbidden ones are Fate and Timespace.
High - There are many theories that try to explain High Magic. Some say that it is the power of The Divine, it is the power of positive emotions, channeled through the human soul. Nevertheless, High Magic is the power of controlling Magical Energy itself, allowing for the ability to see all Magic, to draw available magical energy from the sky and earth, create constructs of condensed Mana, fuel devices and create enchanted items, ward people and places from magic, and finally, the ability to create bolts of silver-white light that cause damage that cannot be healed by magic to Mages and Magical creatures... But not ordinary targets, whose burns can be healed as normal.
Mind - This magic deals with controlling minds and altering the emotions of both humans and animals, as well as creating illusions, and mental compulsions, and even erasing or editing memories. This can also alter one's own mind to temporarily increase learning time and allow for perfect memory, as well as create and program sapient AIs. A very powerful magical discipline, but its flaw is that it can be resisted with strong willpower.
Underworld - Death is all around us, and the old laws against disturbing the ghosts who chose not to pass on are gone, cast into the wind. Nevertheless, the souls of the departed have to be treated with respect, but it is not the same for their bodies. Underworld Magic is the magic of Necromancy; it is the magic you wield when you want to raise an army of the dead, to control the shadows of the world, speak with ghosts, and strike people dead with one blow (this is a high-level spell). You can even use this to transcend death, allowing you continued existence in this world without the need for food, drink, and sleep...
World - World Magic is control over the physical elements of the world. Do you want to create Fire? World Magic. Do you want to alter Gravity to make yourself float? World Magic. Do you want to use lightning to electrocute a person? World Magic. Basically, if it has nothing to do with changing one thing to another, or controlling something that isn't wholly of this earth? World Magic is your key. Basically, Bending from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but without healing or spiritual arts and with control over gravity.
Change - This is the magic that deals with changing one thing to another. This magic can knit wounds and reverse aging, cause trees to grow fists, and turn vines into whips. This magic can change one substance to another, turning lead into gold, earth into acid, and fire into water. What it cannot do, however, is affect stuff protected by High magic, or reanimate/control beings that are already dead. That belongs to another school, the magic of the Underworld.
Dimensional - This is the Magic that allows access to Otherspace, which Traditionalists call the Astral Plane, the Spirit World, or the Otherworld. Basically, Dimensional allows one to create portals, summon and make contracts with Nature Spirits, and even, with enough preparation and magical energy, travel to other universes resembling our own. However, the drawback of Dimensional-based spells (aside from making portals) is that Nature Spirits have wills of their own and look very badly at people trying to order them around...
Note: A lot of individual spells are very broken by nature, and would fundamentally destroy the game’s balance if implemented. If you’re touching these spells, please make sure you have some limitations added to them. If you’re not sure, look no further than your GMs! They will be happy to answer your question/address the balancing of your powers.
The Forbidden Areas cannot be affected by Magic whatsoever unless you sacrifice literal billions of people or build artificial structures as large as Saturn's rings (impossible in a Medieval/Renaissance Setting).
Fate - Alters luck and probability and allows for blessing one's efforts so that they succeed, or cursing them so that they always fail or carry a high cost.
Timespace - Time travel, time stop, and true bullet time (actually slowing down time instead of just one's perception of it and ability to physically respond to it). Making physical distances longer and shorter without using Hyperspace/The Astral Plane. Flawless Teleportation where you can instantly appear without any warning signs, such as the color and light made by portals (which using the Dimensional School of Magic always gives).
Spell Mastery
Pretty self-explanatory. Each spell your character possesses has its own degree of mastery. The more you master a spell, the less effort (Mana, Time, other relevant resources) it takes to perform that spell. If you have enough spells from the same school mastered, you can choose to make it a <Magic Area> Mastery trait. How many spells, you ask? That depends if you are a Traditionalist or Enlightened Inventor; Traditionalists can master any Area they have 3+ Spells in, and furthermore instantly cast spells in that Area with only words and gestures. Enlightened Inventors, meanwhile, can master as many Areas of Magic as they have Spells (which they call 'Functions'), but each Spell/Function has to be tied to an advanced gadget/weapon and they lose their Mastery when losing their device.
And yes, an Enlightened Inventor can put all their available Spells/Functions into one gadget.
How long is it going to take to master a spell: This gives me headaches every time. It really depends. From the length of an arc to the number of times the character practices/uses these spells. I’d say on average 1 spell is mastered every arc as a benchmark, but don’t take this as gospel. Use a LOT of nuances when interpreting this. We’ll try to adjust and accommodate your needs, just let us know.
Enchantment Rules
For Traditionalists, Enchantment requires High Magic and a spell that you or another party member knows, along with an item to be enchanted. Note however that the weaker and less durable the material is, the magic you can put into it is more limited; for example, oak can be enchanted to emit laser beams, but birch cannot. This is the same for metals, and the strongest of spells can only be enchanted into 'Perfected Electrum (more below)'.
For Enlightened Inventors, Enchantment is merely the creation of new 'devices' and the addition of new 'Functions' to an existing one, and they do not need High Magic to do this. However, they do need a workshop and materials and their works must at least look like technology or better tools...
Perfected Electrum
Electrum is a mix of Gold and Silver that occurs naturally but can be made by artificial means. This material, if treated by High and Change Magic by four different Magi can be 'perfected', aka transformed into metal as hard as a diamond yet not as brittle, and whose lightness is that of cloth. But the most valuable property of Perfected Electrum is that it can contain very, very strong spells, except for Resurrection.
Group Spells/Projects
Basically, multiple spell-casters with different areas can do things that would strain a single Mage. This also helps in compensating for single Magi's weaknesses in specialization. Note that Traditionalists can only do Group Spells with each other, same for Enlightened Inventors, who call their spells 'Projects'.
III. Miscellaneous Worldbuilding Facts
All religions in this setting (we’re not using IRL faiths for obvious reasons) are offshoots of one primordial creed: 'The Faith of the One Above All Thrones Forever', but differ in interpretations. The One Above All Thrones Forever does exist and the primordial creed is thus factually true in this universe, but his/her/their existence is less relevant than the cultures he/she/they shaped by existing and the story possibilities inherent in cultural differences, similarities, and clashes. Here are the various sects of the region:
The Saint Church: The official sect followed by La Reyna, the Church believes that The One has delegated his powers to various ‘Saints’ and ‘Saintesses’ who just so happen to be very good at Traditionalist Magic, which they use as proof that their talents are a blessing from the divine. Other sects just say that they’re very good Magicians who claim to speak for The One, or even that they’re not even that good; they just use the Church’s money and resources for extra training.
The Fellowship of Light: The official sect followed by the Malikate of Bertambah, The Fellowship believes that the Saint Church is misguided at best, and run by frauds at most. They believe that every human has been chosen by The One, that clergy are merely scholars who are experts in interpreting the words of The One and do not have unearned favors from The One himself, and that mathematics and philosophy are ways of understanding the rational laws that govern The One’s creation. Not only that, but their focus on cleanliness, spiritual and physical, makes them very good Doctors, and some of their best physicians can use both Traditionalist and Enlightened methods for healing… And only that.
The Wheel: The sect followed by the Rajahnate of Rouanpura, they preach that The One is merely the Soul of the Universe, with literal thousands of avatars which are themselves Gods and Goddesses, and that Humans can eventually be reincarnated into Gods, then merge with The One. They also believe that the existence of Evil will only be undone when enough Humans merge with The One. Staunch users of Traditionalist Magic, which they combine with Martial Arts.
The Believers of the Return: The sect most common in Alhakestia and the territories held by the New Alhakestian Sea Company, the Believers have declared the Saint Church to be frauds, the Fellowship to be partly correct but half-hearted, and the Wheel’s teachings to be unnecessary… Because they will end evil themselves by forcing everyone to follow the same dogma, laws, and rituals. On the plus side, they encouraged science and the study of the natural world, especially metallurgy and alchemy/chemistry, which led them to produce many Enlightened Inventors.
IV. Rules
1.) No Godmodding or Powergaming. 2.) Any consenting relationship between people of the same age group is allowed, whether it's Homosexual or Heterosexual. 3.) Be polite to others. 4.) Please notify me if you will be gone for more than a week, I myself will let you guys know if I will be gone for that same amount of time. 5.) The GM reserves the right to control inactive PCs as NPCs in order to keep the plot moving. 6.) Same for custom factions. 7.) Your OCs can grow in power over time; one new spell for all OCs per 60 IC Posts (all multiple paragraphs long).
V. Character Sheet Skeleton
Name: What’s your characters name? Age: How old is your character? Physical Description: What does your character look like? Place any pictures here (Drawn/Illustrated art is encouraged but not mandatory). Important items: What possessions are important to your character? Short Bio: Tell us your character's story up to this point. Skills: What are your characters mundane strengths? Spell List: 6 Spells overall.
Power: A Speed: C (S) Range: F (S) Persistence: C Precision: B Potential: D
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Support/Ranged, Element of Data/Information
Noble Arm Abilities:
Data Conversion - Can convert objects and people touched by the Shield into raw data/information which are then contained in the Noble Arm; the larger the object or person, the longer it takes to convert, although an average human adult can be turned to data in a full second, while an automobile takes five minutes. This power works only through direct contact with the shield and people converted to data are knocked unconscious by said conversion. Not only that, but objects converted to data can be turned back into their material forms by a mental command alone; smaller objects become physical again instantly while larger objects, such as people take time to reappear (same pace as conversion to data).
He can store up to an entire luxury yacht's worth of matter in his shield if given 12 hours, and can theoretically store twice that if given 48 hours of constant concentration, but it is not recommended.
Data Transmission - Myron can 'connect' to a mundane electronic device, such as a radio, telephone, or internet-capable gadget and transfer the data he stores in the shield to said device, allowing objects and people to be transported at high speeds. The drawback to this is that this process is affected by anything that can jam communications IRL, such as electronic jamming, firewalls, antivirus, or just the destruction of the corresponding device before it 'downloads' the data. Living beings (people) who had been converted to data and failed to transfer reappear at the location of Myron's shield, physically damaged depending on the measures taken to stop them. This is also why Myron's Noble Arm has (S) in Range because this can theoretically allow him to exceed the dreaded A-rank by using the IRL internet (still not recommended due to antivirus programs, though).
Misc Abilities: Myron fights like a Normal person most of the time, being adept in guns, unarmed combat, and melee, with his forte being hacking and cyber warfare, also poisons and antidotes. He has, in the past, also been trained to look cute and adorable so that he can treacherously stab, gun down, and poison Arms Masters. This is because he used to be a member of the Disablers, an Anti-Arms Master terrorist organization, and he keeps using many of their techniques despite his new allegiance.
Personality: Myron is resentful of the world, resentful of the system, resentful of factions, and is working for the Philippine Government of National Salvation because they guarantee him his revenge against the members of the Hammer of Masters and Disablers, as well as pay him in cold hard cash plus confiscated haciendas (estates/plantations) from the discredited members of the previous Government. Though he has a side that wishes the best for people, he prefers to bury it with a hedonistic attitude where he appreciates the finer things in life a bit too much. And by that, he is the type to give most of the land he's given to the tenant farmers already farming it but keeping enough to ensure a comfortable life for himself.
*Likes: Coffee, Cash, Sports Cars.
*Dislikes: The Hammer of Masters, Disablers, and being forced to kill children.
Fears: The Former Head of the Hammer of Masters, [Identity is a Spoiler].
Bio: Myron was born to an American Businessman and a Filipino 'bar girl' who sought to marry him for money, but was deceived and thrown away. Raised in poverty and bearing the brunt of his mother's abuse, Myron was sold to the 'Spartan Training Program' overseas in Singapore at the age of six by people who promised that he would come back as an Arms Master. Instead, at the age of 12, he escaped with several other students and joined the Disablers, a group of Anti-Arms Master terrorists who killed Arms Masters through ambush, assassination, and bombings. Myron was thus trained further, taught to lure in Arms Masters into wanting to protect him so that he could literally stab them in the back.
At the age of sixteen, he fought against the Hammer of Masters in Northern Iraq, where their leader had established 'The Malikate', a nation for Arms Masters to rule over Non-Arms Masters, two years of hard fighting followed, where he killed several Arms Masters simply by posing as an enslaved 'Normal Person' and poisoning their water supplies, setting up IEDs and traps, or even - And this haunts him to no end - kidnapping their children, even those who had not manifested a Noble Arm, and using them to lure their Arms Master parents to buildings filled to the brim with explosives.
When he turned eighteen, in the final siege of the Malikate's base on the Syrian-Iraqi border, Myron was captured by the Hammer of Master's 'Malik', [NAME REDACTED], who had him thrown into the dungeons in order to... He refuses to speak of it, only saying that he was busted out by the Malik's second-in-command himself. However, as he trekked back to the Disablers' battle lines, he realized this: The Hammer and the Disablers had become mirror images of each other, fueled by hate. As he realized this, he grew a Noble Arm, realized that he could not go back to the Disablers, and as the world was thrown into chaos by the announcement that three groups had emerged that can give Noble Arms to ordinary people, sought asylum with the UN and returned to the Philippines.
He next emerged four years later, as a mercenary working with the coup plotters who set up the Government of National Salvation when it turned out the President-Elect had been assassinated by the Vice President-Elect, who was also the current President thanks to a loophole in the Philippine Constitution forbidding Presidents from seeking a second term but not the Vice Presidency. During the new Government's takeover, he and another Arms Master, Noel Alonso, led the Storming of Malacañang Palace, where the two put down all resistance and arrested the President and all most adult members of his family, before moving on to arresting the Old Government's supporters in the countryside, where he was granted several hundred hectares of land confiscated from those corrupt oligarchs, most of which he gave to the tenant farmers who farmed them.
Now, he has been sent to aid the newly-formed Task Force Obsidian (composed of most of the PCs) to relieve the Philippines' new allies in the Pacific...
*Current Goal: Hold on to the estates he had been granted by the Government of National Salvation and give them over to their tenant farmers as smallholdings.
Military or Civilian Rank: Special Inspector with powers equivalent to a First Lieutenant.
Power: B (S) Speed: B Range: C (S) Persistence: B Precision: B Potential: D
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee/Ranged, close-to-mid range, and based upon the Moon and its qualities of changeability, magic, and madness.
Noble Arm Abilities:
La Luna's Miraculous Evasion - Noel's speed and reflexes are enhanced to levels that would surprise even an Arms Master. At the same time, fate itself contrives to partner with that speed and reflexes to make sure that Noel can dodge bullets, and grenades, but not necessarily the resulting explosions. However, he can dodge shrapnel and even the occasional rocket, allowing him to get into melee even when under enemy fire.
La Luna's Veil of Night - Noel can cloak himself in magic that renders him invisible, a perfect example of camouflage, and which cannot be pierced by most forms of mundane and mystic surveillance; it requires a dedicated B+rank power to reveal him (with exceptions below). This Veil, however, loses its potency from 11 AM to 1 PM, when the Sun is at its highest in the sky. Sun-themed Noble Arms, even C or D-ranked ones, can also detect Noel's Veil and remove it.
La Luna's Power of Enchantment - When the Moon is shining in the sky (including when it appears in the daytime), Noel can duplicate a Noble Arm power he has seen, as many times as he had seen that power used. For example, Noel can duplicate a Healing Power 3 times if he's seen it used three times. This power works on all Noble Arms that are not Sun-themed; Noel cannot duplicate Sun-based NA Powers, nor can it duplicate other A-Rank NA abilities.
La Luna's Madness Inducement - When the New Moon has risen in the sky, Noel can raise his scythe and pronounce a curse on an enemy force within sight of his natural eyes (no telescopes or digital enhancement). This curse spreads a plague of madness which causes everyone who is not a B-Rank Arms Master (or an OC/PC) to turn violent and attack their fellows, thinking that they are enemy monsters. The more blood is shed, the more the curse spreads from fellow to fellow, ending only when either the whole enemy army is dead or the New Moon sets.
And yes, this can affect an entire city, while Sun-themed NA Powers can also dispel it.
Misc Abilities: Well-read, a good dancer, knows how to arrange flowers and cook and even sew.
Personality: Noel wants to be a good person at heart, to fight for a cause worth believing in, and also to rescue his country from the clutches of China, which he views as a plague to its citizens. He believes that the divisions between Arms Masters and mundane folk have allowed society and the world to degrade, and is glad that they are on the verge of obsolescence due to 'The Big Three', although he does believe too that the 'Paragons of Science' are courting hubris and also hoarding power which could be used to advance Humanity for themselves...
*Likes: Sweets, Dancing, Romance (both BL and Straight).
*Dislikes: People who are too gloomy (despite his Noble Arm), War Crimes.
Fears: Being captured by the enemy, of course!
Bio: Noel was born to a family catapulted from obscurity in the past few decades when they began manifesting Noble Arms with increasing regularity. A natural prodigy, the boy displayed his Noble Arm at the age of twelve, and proved himself an able fighter against Muslim Terrorists in Mindanao just two years later, which was also when the old divisions were beginning to fade due to the appearance of the 'Big Three'. When the next President-Elect was voted for, then assassinated by his own Vice President-elect (who was also the incumbent president due to a law preventing Presidents in the Philippines from running for a second term but not for the Vice Presidency), Noel helped in the coup which installed the 'Government of National Salvation'.
Nevertheless, despite being a child soldier, Noel had privileges that other children lacked, such as regular psychological counseling money, and access to friends his age. If he was the Philippine Government's 'Guard Dog', he was a well-pampered one, and for all its worth, he genuinely loves his country and its people. He also wants to find a decent boy or girl to settle down with and is glad that his current handlers are accepting of his' being bisexual...
Decades ago, in the twilight of World War II, the British Scientist named Alan Turing made Magic real. This Magic, the Noble Arm, was the rare ability to conjure up a supernatural weapon that can defy the laws of physics, a weapon bound to the user's mind and soul that is summoned by their will into reality. For reasons that are still unexplainable despite years of research, Noble Arms mostly take the form of weapons from before the First World War (later weapons are allowed if they are widely known as obsolete), but although they look like antiques, the power they bear to the battlefield is unlike anything modern technology has been able to produce.
The ability to manipulate the elements to the user's will.
Forces that can reduce matter down to atoms in seconds.
The strength to withstand the explosion of a nuclear missile.
These powers, plus more wondrous and terrifying abilities, come with Noble Arms. Thus, the ones who bear them, the Arms Masters, are sought after by many countries. The strength of a country used to be decided by the firepower of its Army, but now it is judged by the number and force of its Arms Masters.
But this state of affairs has produced sadness and strife; the world was just not prepared for the possibility of superhumans, people who, by existing, challenge the notion of equality between men. And so Arms Masters and Normal Humans lived in an uneasy state of coexistence, with radicals on both sides wishing to shatter the peace and dominate one another.
Then, in the early decades of the 21st Century, from the years 2019 to 2022, the status quo shattered again, with three groups of beings, only one of them claiming to be part of Humanity as it is now, manifesting the ability to give Noble Arms to those who once lacked them, albeit under conditions which appeal only to the desperate. These factions, known as "The Big Three", are:
The Seven Virtues - "Humanity can be more than it is now. Make it so." The Seven Virtues claim to be ascended Humans, Arms Masters who had transcended their mortal form and become something more. Now they seek to guide Humanity to a similar 'Ascension' by controlling the 'reincarnation' of the Noble Arms held by Arms Masters who had died in the line of duty, or very rarely, creating new ones which had not been held by an Arms Master before. However, the Seven Virtues make one demand from those they empower: Give up their existing property, their wealth, and their position in society, and dedicate themselves to Humanity as a whole.
The Paragons of Science - "Humanity is the only concept worth worshipping." The Paragons of Science are a cabal of scientists who have mixed together actual scientific principles with the Occult to decipher part of what makes Noble Arms 'tick', enough to manufacture Artificial Noble Arms which can compete with the best of existing ones. However, they give these Artificial Arms only to those who can 1.) pay through the nose for them, or 2.) people who are willing to renounce the "Throne and altar" to promote a future where Humanity rules over all of nature and worships only itself.
Addiitonal Restrictions: Oh, and this will be unknown to most OCs, but the Paragons of Science use their mastery of the 'Occult Programming Language' to make them able to remotely bring down any A or B-rank Noble Arms to C-Rank if they deem the Arms Master a threat to their interests. Due to their expertise with the 'Occult Programming Language' being imperfect, however, they cannot bring a Noble Arm any lower, so NAs that are already C-Rank are safe.
The Downward Descent - "Freedom from Morality." The Downward Descent does not claim to be Human, but rather something more; the darkness of people's thoughts and inner desires made manifest, whispering the fulfillment of their darkest wishes. The Downward Descent wants nothing more than Humanity to descend to a level lower than animals, to pull civilization down into ruins so that people would give up on being something more than what they were, to regard their hopes and dreams and aspirations as only so many lies and self-deception. And in exchange for indulging their wishes, the entities of the Downward Descent can give Noble Arms to anyone, not just the unpowered but also those who already have a Noble Arm; they are the only source of a Second Noble Arm, ever.
And all it takes is for you to renounce not just your soul, but actively endorse the very things you find most abominable in your heart and mind.
Needless to say, the Downward Descent has pursued a deliberate strategy of offering authoritarian leaders, even the ones who pride themselves on 'promoting public morality', an advantage over their rivals in and out of their own governments. These leaders, under their influence, have turned against the nations they once claimed to serve, and let in the Downward Descent's agents to victimize not just their own nations and people, but also the members of their own Governments and Political Parties. All the while, everyone suffers except them.
Their machinations have swept the old divisions out of the water, destroying the fragile order of the world as apocalyptic warfare breaks out all over it. China, once held at bay by the ASEAN countries, has rearmed and mustered an army of Arms Masters through vile procedures and is preparing to overrun Southeast Asia. The Philippines, once a bulwark against Chinese expansion, even elected a Pro-Chinese President, who used a loophole in the Constitution banning a second term as President but not Vice President to run for the latter position, then assassinate the person who did become President, only to have his nefarious actions found out and lead to his overthrow and replacement by a 'Government of National Salvation'.
However, the 'Assassin President's' loyalists, disregarding his illegal actions, established a rival Government and invited China's armies and fleets in, alarming the other nations in the region. One thing led to another and the region was now engulfed in war.
We all live in interesting times...
------
All right; I've tried running Noble Arms, TheHangedMan's RP idea, several times now, and tried to add my own spin on it once before. Now, I am trying again with my darkest RP yet.
This is a game where you play ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) or ASEAN-allied folk (US and European Volunteers) as OCs and China is the enemy. These OCs/PCs will be part of one group, Task Force Obsidian, whose goals are to act as one unit to engage in operations against China's People's Liberation Army and its assets while defending ASEAN's own.
There will be both adult and child soldiers as Noble Arms are not selective and the situation is just that desperate. You are not limited to Arms Masters; people who use their own skills and technology are permitted as well.
Addendum: This is a 'soft reboot' of a previous thread that ran out of steam due to most players getting distracted by IRL matters. In that thread, it was hard to maintain the desired difficulty due to the PCs/OCs being too powerful and enforcement of some rules becoming too lax, so we made a few retcons to the setting and previous continuity and made it so that the stronger you are at the start, the less room to grow you have.
And now, the meat of the lore.
Noble Arms:
Noble Arms take the form of weaponry that was created before World War I - Each one of them has powerful abilities beyond normal human capacity, however, they can only be used if they are released into reality by their user. Noble Arms exist in a kind of 'hyperspace' that is unique to its user and can be called from there - in essence, an Arms Master is always armed.
Noble Arms have an astonishingly versatile ability pool, from calling down fire to strengthening the body, etc., and more often than not, possess more than one ability. However, similar to physical activity, using a Noble Arm is draining physically and more so mentally - Extended use of its abilities is akin to overexerting yourself on both fronts and as such, so much more fatal to overdo.
For the purposes of defining what a weapon is, a weapon is 'something crafted or shaped by human hands for the specific purpose of doing harm'. This also means that you can use a bunch of Stone Age flint knives, a wand, and yes, a staff as weapons.
Note: We have allowed this rule to be stretched before, allowing books and exploding metal cubes, but asking for a stretch is a privilege, not a right. Do not ask without a good, story-based reason.
Noble Arm Ratings:
Noble Arms are rated according to, firstly, the sum of their atomized ranks (Power, Speed, Range, etc as detailed in the character sheet). An F grade counts as a 0, an A as a 5, and the sum is divided by 6. However, ultimately, the grading system is used as a threat assessment. Noble Arms that are more dangerous than their average number indicates may have their overall grade incremented up a letter, or vice versa.
Examples of rank as a threat assessment:
- A Noble Arm capable of strengthening its Arms Master is common, and can easily be countered by police officers with the proper ordinance, and thus, merits an E rank, its Arms Master is not notable to the government and subsequently ignored.
- On the other hand, a Noble Arm capable of creating explosions in the atmosphere is uncommon and dangerous, as such, the user must undergo a government registration form and be placed under mild scrutiny. The Noble Arm in question will merit a C or B rank.
- Finally, there are Noble Arms that can achieve effects that can cover an area the size of a city, for good or for ill. Such Noble Arms are both rare and regarded as extremely dangerous to countries at large (note that some powers might not justify this fear, even if they cover an entire city). Their users will be under constant surveillance and limits will be placed on the usage of their Noble Arm. Such Noble Arms are always rated A.
Noble Arm Origins:
Formation:
The most common way to have a Noble Arm is to reach a stage of personal development, for good or for ill, which allows one's Soul (yes, Souls are a thing here) to form one from the sum of the person's personality, willpower, and sense of identity. Said Noble Arms are connected to their user's Soul and are made of the same material/energy as it. They can be suppressed and damaged; they can be broken and diminished, but they cannot be completely destroyed except in extraordinary circumstances, and even then only because although born from a Soul, they are not the originating Soul itself but akin; actual Souls are even more indestructible (although their energies can be suppressed to infinitesimal levels). This leads us to the second way to obtain a Noble Arm - Inheritance.
Inheritance
When an Arms Master dies, their Noble Arm is left in a limbo state, unable to follow them to wherever Souls go (while immortal Souls have been proven, an afterlife is not, much less a good afterlife). When this happens, it latches on the closest possible Soul even if the holder of said Soul has not developed enough to grow their own Noble Arm. If the 'latching' process is successful, the new Arms Master gains the power of a Noble Arm grafted to their own consciousness and identical to its previous form. This phenomenon has been tracked over the past decades, and the Seven Virtues have found a way to interfere with the process to ensure that various NAs end up with the 'right' people...
Categories of Ranking and Degrees of Rank:
Power: The pure energy the NA can exert (offensively/defensively/healing/etc). Speed: How fast the power responds to the user and takes effect. Range: How far-reaching the abilities are (potential fallout included). Persistence: Stamina toll on user. Higher rank = more ease of use. Precision: How surgically (or clumsily/indiscriminate) the NA performs. Potential: Power's flexibility for creative use and evolution.
F = Default/minimum rank. B = General maximum of standard NA. A = Generally restricted to A-Rank NAs, but 1-2 categories may potentially reach it. S = "Special" rank. This means the category is flexible in some way, and not necessarily for the better. (Ex - Power: D (S)) This supplementary rank is often the result or source of an NA having a "+" or "-" on their final rank. Infinite/?: Indicating no measurable limit on the category. Only been seen on A-Ranks thus far. This rank has yet to even be officially acknowledged as existing IC. (this rating's details may be subject to change; this is merely my current interpretation)
The final overall ranking of the Noble Arm is determined on an average by assigning point values from 0-5 on the respective ranks F-A. Depending on the power set and its effectiveness in practice, the final ranking may, however, be subject to flexibility.
If you want, you may also use a graph image based on the JJBA Stand ranking system instead, since that is what we are basing this off largely. The above is the most convenient to read, but you have the option for flavor. Just try to have it in a hider in either case.
Power:
F-Rank: Provides no notable supernatural advantage. Often cosmetic at best. The Noble Arm certainly possesses the same supernatural durability as any other NA, but beyond that? Little. Ranged Noble Arms are not found here.
E-Rank: Minor supernatural advantage. Hits a bit harder, cuts a bit easier, endures a little more, etc. than a normal human could. It's not much, but it's there. Enhancements are "slight", but elemental manipulation is possible. Ranged Noble Arms are possible now and typically have this rank at minimum. "Peak Human" is a common descriptor.
D-Rank: Cantrip levels of strength. Can easily dish out, endure, or heal from effects that are singularly lethal to a human. Notably useful abilities exist here that are a serious problem for most people. Such a power is much like always carrying a loaded gun and may be beyond the police's capacity to handle it.
C-Rank: A strong/multiple, physical/magical effect that will start to cause issues for public safety.
B-Rank: Very strong. Difficult to counter without a specialized/specific effect.
A-Rank: Powers of this strength are nearly uncontestable. Once the effect occurs, it usually cannot be overridden or countered without exceptional means. Perfect stealth. Strength that is enough to lift and throw a skyscraper or cause earthquakes. Total incineration. Absolute zero infliction. Disintegration of atoms. Stopping time. The possibilities are nearly limitless. The amount of raw energy behind these abilities is frankly excessive.
Speed:
F-Rank: Basically, this... "Is to go-! Even! Further! BEYOND! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Editor's Note: This continued for 10 episodes.
E-Rank: Comparative to walking underwater. Notable ramp-up/charge time. Abilities take a disadvantageously long time to fully "stick". Recommended against using them in the open or in sight of any hostile, at least initially. 1 minute or more.
D-Rank: Small ramp-up time. Somewhat disadvantageous, but possible to use even against a conventionally faster opposition with care and the right timing. A power that typically requires patience and "choosing the right moment" from the user. Abilities have a tendency towards "damage over time" compared to "instant". 3-60 seconds.
C-Rank: Abilities respond and take effect at a respectable, practical speed. The user will have no real trouble utilizing their powers often and reflexively. The power doesn't quite match up when pitted against an ambush or with the user caught off guard. The moments needed to both perceive and respond to the threat mean that a "surprise round" still favors the enemy.
B-Rank: Abilities respond quickly, lagging behind the user's desires for 1-5 seconds at absolute worst. Being caught off guard is far less threatening. The power typically responds and reaches full effect at speeds equivalent to the user's mere consideration of using it.
A-Rank: Answers the user's call with almost prescient speed. The effects of powers typically occur instantaneously, even at large scale. "Surprise rounds" are nearly entirely useless against them without an effect of comparable speed. Rather, they respond so quickly that they can almost immediately invert a situation with themselves on the back foot to one where they have a distinct advantage. These powers practically ooze the concept of "having the initiative".
Range:
F-Rank: Touch-range. The power generally requires either the user or the Noble Arm, itself, to make physical contact with the target of their ability. Fallout is nonexistent.
E-Rank: Melee-range. Comparable range to a held weapon of some stripe, even a whip. It no longer requires physical contact to take effect. Fallout/lingering effects are minimal to nonexistent and rarely -if ever- have the capacity to spread beyond a single target. Up to approximately 5-6 meters/15-21 feet.
D-Rank: Mid-Range. Covers the ideal skirmishing distance for a pistol. An indoor firing range would be comparable. Up to approximately 50 meters/166 feet.
C-Rank: Around a city block or couple. Up to approximately 200 meters/658 feet. Fallout may exceed the base range by a factor of double the core range.
B-Rank: Long-range. Could encompass a whole neighborhood or village. Fallout may equal or even exceed the base target area by a factor of 2-4. Up to around 1-2 kilometers.
A-Rank: City-wide or larger. Attacks may potentially be launched from miles away. Fallout may potentially leak out into a national emergency.
Persistence:
F-Rank: Can maybe use their active power all of once before being exhausted. Even having the NA summoned is a serious effort that requires physical honing to master.
E-Rank: Like a D-Rank squared. Significant base maintenance cost. Abilities that incur a stamina drain like being punched in the gut. They are lovers, not fighters. And when they do fight, they are either very careful or dead.
D-Rank: Must be picky with their power use. Tactical. The drain of even having the NA out is significant. A D-Rank may have trouble keeping their power going continuously for even a single decent skirmish. "Playing it smart" is the name of the game. If not a serious stamina drain, then a notable negative backlash usually is inherent to the active power.
C-Rank: Will experience drain even if they don't use the NA's powers. Minor drain, granted, but drain all the same. Their powers typically aren't incredibly draining to actively use immediately, but the user will absolutely feel it with constant, reckless use. Sort of like sprinting. These NAs are ideally used with a "breather" between skirmishes to catch a second or third wind. They are much like a well-trained soldier.
B-Rank: Could, in theory, be summoned indefinitely as long as the user either didn't make heavy use of its abilities or had incredibly minor abilities. This rank is ideal for prolonged battlefield fighting, as long as the user has time to rest every few skirmishes.
A-Rank: Typically known to be very free in this aspect, able to both keep their power going near indefinitely and not really feeling the strain without truly excessive overuse or a very specific type of backlash unique to the NA/power.
Precision:
F-Rank: Volatile and indiscriminate to the extreme. Not even the user is safe. In fact, they are more often than not caught in the power's effect as well, for better or worse. If the power has any capacity to affect multiple targets, it will always attempt to hit all of them and attempt to perform to its maximum possible extent.
E-Rank: User gains some level of "leashing" capacity. Power now often has a dial and can be restrained from automatically going full bore. Is still quite a "hair trigger" and prone to being a threat to the user as well without caution being taken.
D-Rank: Still quite indiscriminate, but the user now usually has some actual capacity to be protected from their own ability. Usually, this protection is not voluntary, however, for better or worse. Power is no longer so oily in the user's proverbial grasp. "Dial" is more defined.
C-Rank: Some minimal capacity to actively exempt others selectively from the effect, which typically requires concentration. Otherwise, abilities have preset exemptions that provide the user more flexibility.
B-Rank: Can selectively exempt targets from the effect on both large and small scales. Usually, the user must already know/be able to visualize individually who or what they are exempting. Although, one could be more general, like "all humans" if firing blindly.
A-Rank: Abilities are highly selective and surgically fine in application. The user usually has near -if not complete- control over who and what they affect. Such abilities may be able to affect someone/something the user doesn't know or is aware of. Such abilities may potentially have such capacity as to identify and target things the user could otherwise have no knowledge about, like "all "enemies/innocents/allies" or "good/evil".
Potential:
Preface: This stat lowers roughly inversely to the number of abilities a Noble Arm possesses and is thus expected to inevitably lower over the course of the RP, starting low the more powerful a Noble Arm starts out.
F-Rank: Extremely static. The NA has nearly zero ability to evolve further. Can usually only develop one more narrow ability... if any at all.
E-Rank: Typically develops 1-2 abilities at most. New powers are quite narrow in scope of application. Complex abilities aren't entirely unheard of, but they are extremely uncommon.
D-Rank: Develops a small number of abilities, even complex ones, but the user must put in serious effort and/or have rather notable personal character/soul development to gain any more.
C-Rank: Develops a comfortable number of powers of various complexities. Can be mistaken for a higher rank in this classification early on but peters out eventually. Preexisting powers have the capacity to improve or change if the user makes the effort to push their boundaries.
B-Rank: Rapidly develops new abilities with even half-hearted or deluded attempts at experimentation. The NA is highly amendable to users who actively seek out specific evolutions and utilizations of their abilities. Complex, flexible powers are not only common but expected, almost inevitable.
A-Rank: The "blank slate" rank, typically possessed by a freshly awakened Noble Arm. Having this rank generally means having only 1 ability at most with radical potential for more. A Noble Arm like this has yet to lock in a "theme" and can evolve in virtually any direction the Arms Master might subconsciously choose. The Noble Arm is extremely sensitive to any excuse to develop in this state, often doing so completely involuntarily. It's therefore extremely rare to find a Noble Arm with this rank, as the weapon has usually already shed this level of potential within days, if not hours, depending on the conditions.
Made by Senhara:
This was approved on Discord by all the GMs and was my suggestion, and I heavily recommend joining the server if you plan to join.
As a system to improve the survivability of PCs and other Arms Masters, this was come up with.
By virtue of being able to wield magic, NA users benefit from the ability to recover from gunshots and the like more effectively than a human, and notably, their bodies heal up faster. This pulls power from their NA, so if you get hit, you live but your powers weaken. So instead of a regular human taking a few rounds to be downed, 1-3 or the like, it'd take more like 4-8 to sustain for C class NA users before they'd be totally unable to use their powers and would need medical attention, with the more powerful NAs being able to withstand more. While Arms Masters are still under their cap for how much abuse they can take, if a "critical" hit occurs, say a shot through the heart or the skull, they're incapacitated but all resources immediately go to fixing them up. The result of this is they're out for the fight, unconscious, but they're still alive. If they proceed to get shot more and do not receive medical attention or are over their capacity for how much damage they can take and receive a critical hit, they would instead die.
Addenum by Lewascan2 with edits by me:
Note that logically, Defensive/Survival/Healing powers take priority over the survival system. If it's a question of a hit 'counting' or not, the hit to the Arms Master's 'survival stacks' is not expended (or may even be reversed/restored) if their power/an incoming power has some method of negating/delaying/mitigating/repairing the damage. Basically, specific powers can defend against or heal an Arms Master or make them endure stuff. If you don't have specific defensive powers, though... Well, this is a world of tradeoffs.
- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is considerably more militarized and economically linked than IRL, with coordination between their best Arms Masters and their separate militaries.
- This in turn has its roots in 1988 when China had a confrontation with the ASEAN Countries over the Spratlys and ASEAN won due to the intervention of Filipino Arms Master Angelito Jaime (who had a spear that could open a portal through which he was clever enough to use to redirect bullets, artillery, cruise missiles, and potentially even nukes back at the person who fired them, and this works on many other NA attacks too). This victory, however, led to an undercurrent of resentment between China and ASEAN which burst into fire decades later in the ASEAN War.
- The Philippines is now led by a 'Government of National Salvation' chaired by an Original Character. The IRL Government/Administration is no longer in power.
- After some thought, another OC (Democratic) is the President of the US instead of anyone IRL.
- The Original Character President of the US was the perfect domestic president, saving the country from COVID-19, restoring the US Economy, limiting corporate power, strengthening the Trade Unions and making them more relevant, and creating more well-paying jobs. The downside to this? His foreign policy sucks, as he despises the prospect of sending Americans to die overseas for ideological goals so much that he is willing to neglect or withdraw from the US alliances and defense commitments and thus emboldened China and Russia to move into open war, mistakenly sensing weakness.
- The US Congress, however, was capable of striking back to issue sanctions, provide weapons, vehicles, supplies, money, and all possible aid to ASEAN and Ukraine, and is trying to scramble enough people to form a majority that can declare war even with a Presidential Veto.
- Indonesia has been caught flat-footed by China's new militaristic mood, and while it remains Democratic, its military (both Army and Navy) is rising in power once again, although its President is still canny enough to balance out competing interests.
- In 2014, instead of a certain terrorist organization taking over large portions of Iraq and Syria, the Hammer of Masters, an organization of Arms Master terrorists, did so instead to establish a 'Malikate' where Arms Masters can rule over Non-Arms Masters as the 'Superior Race'. This was crushed in 2018 - 2019, when the 'Big Three' first made their appearance, and the Paragons and Seven Virtues began giving away Noble Arms.
- As for the various groups in the Original Noble Arms, the Hammer of Masters (mentioned above) and the Disablers have dwindled into near-irrelevance over the last four years due to the existence of the Seven Virtues and Paragons of Science (both of whom have defectors from both groups), same for the Arms of Nobility and the Organization for Disarmament. It is also rumored that the Seven Virtues and Paragons have been organizing manhunts for members of the Hammer and Disablers who remain diehard fanatics of their ideologies.
- There are people within China trying to fight against the current leadership of its Government so that they can change their country and shift it to a direction they believe is more productive. Some of them are fringe groups given power by Noble Arms, such as the ASEAN-allied Qing Restoration Society (QRS), but others fight within the current Government, such as the [Insert Name Here] Clique and the [Blank] and [REDACTED] Factions, to stop a war they consider senseless and counter to China's prosperity.
- Emperor Naruhito of Japan has more children, including a son and additional daugthers.
[center][b]Appearance:[/b] (Picture preferred, although written descriptions are good too. Also, please include miscellaneous information such as height and weight.)[/center]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Nationality:[/b]
[b]Noble Arm Name & Appearance:[/b]
[b]Noble Arm Rank:[/b] (We redid how ranks work; now instead of just a single rank, each NA has six attributes that have their own ranks, which can either be very weak, aka E or D, or stronger than that, B or A. This means that an NA can be weak in some aspects while strong in others. Extended descriptions of what these mean can be found on the Discord Server, in the first thread from "Character and Power Building." If a particular attribute is hard to nail down to a certain letter, whether due to sensitivity to circumstances or a wide spread of grades from each specific ability, you may tag your letter grade with an (S) to indicate this, for example, "C (S)".)
[hider=Insert NA rank here] Power: The pure energy the NA can exert (offensively/defensively/healing/etc). Speed: How fast the power responds to the user and takes effect. Range: How far-reaching the abilities are (potential fallout included). Along with Power, we will be paying special scrutiny to NAs that are high in this stat and especially in both at once. Persistence: Stamina toll on the user. Higher rank = more ease of use. Precision: How surgically (or clumsily/indiscriminate) the NA performs. Potential: Power's flexibility for creative use and evolution. [/hider]
[b]Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range:[/b] (Is your Noble Arm Support/Melee/Ranged, or some other? What Element or Concept are they themed on? Are they close-range, mid-range, or long-range or all of them?)
[b]Noble Arm Abilities:[/b] (No maximum number, however, try and be sensible about this. Just because you [i]can[/i] doesn't mean you [i]should[/i], also be as detailed as you can, especially on its strengths, weaknesses, and effects. For example, every ability with a range restriction should have that range at least qualitatively measured: city block? As far as the user can see?)
[b]Misc Abilities:[/b] What are your other talents?
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]*Likes:[/b]
[b]*Dislikes:[/b]
[b]Fears:[/b]
[b]Bio:[/b]
[b]*Current Goal:[/b]
[b]Military or Civilian Rank:[/b]
*Optional
1.) Cooperative storytelling comes first; prospective players should not seek to game or break the system to make themselves as powerful as possible. One should also not use one's PC's powers to brute-force all obstacles the GM brings before them, or use sophistry, psychological tricks, or 'mental influence magic' to win every diplomatic confrontation. This is not an RP where 'storygaming' is an ugly word. 2.) Nor does an angsty backstory that fits various 'story beats' make one's character good if their purpose is to defeat everyone and establish themselves as the 'top dogs' and otherwise make it an arms race with the GM on who can god-mode more. If one won't use their angsty backstory to make a good story, this is not the RP for them. 3.) That said, powerful characters and angsty backstories are permitted, as long as they are made by players who are willing to cooperate with each other and the GM to make a good and dynamic story that isn't just 'X overpowers Y' by bending the rules so far they break, violating the spirit of said rules and (to quote Dave Brookshaw of Onyx Path publishing) common sense. 4.) The first three rules are the most important; let's just say that people who cannot follow them have proven problematic before, and it's best that we have people who can follow the first three rules in this RP. 5.) Do not be an asshole. 6.) Post length is five sentences minimum, but longer posts are encouraged, of course. GMs are also bound by this rule. 7.) Characters are supposed to start no higher than B-Rank in statistical average on their Noble Arm. Note that exceptions can be made for one (two at the most) players who can be trusted to control themselves and not power game when it weakens the story. 8.) 1 US Dollar is 55 Philippine Pesos - Remember this when you spend money. 9.) Reminder: The more powerful you are, the lower your Potential stat is. If you want high Potential, you need to make a weak Noble Arm that can get stronger later. 10.) New Rule (October 12, 2024): Sexual content, including situations where one finds themselves shirtless or otherwise unclothed by force, is now forbidden in the thread itself. RPGuild Private Messages, however, are an option for those who really want to do it, and if situations that may disgust most people are necessary for the advancement of the plot, players who give their consent to witness or write out such situations will be allowed access to special RPGuild PMs upon giving their permission.
Member
N3v3rM0r3,
Bacon,
RPM,
esqueleto,
Digmata,
QJT,
Aisede,
PrinceAlexus,
DarkNight612
